


Haunted

by ElbyWoggit



Series: Elbi's Awakening [1]
Category: Black Desert Online (Video Game), Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: BDO Witch, Backstory, Balenos, Crossover, F/M, Fluff, canon character reinterpretation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElbyWoggit/pseuds/ElbyWoggit
Summary: Elbi enters the Ancient Stone Chamber. But instead of the Black Spirit, she discovers an entirely different sort of possession.
Relationships: Talos Drellik/Female Sith Inquisitor
Series: Elbi's Awakening [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710898
Kudos: 1





	Haunted

**Author's Note:**

> I do role-play Elbi in-game and in Discord, so for the sake of flowing easily, Talos Drellik has been renamed as Pernic within my fics. He is my unique interpretation of him.

Her eyes blinked open. The room was dark, lit indistinctly by warm hues. As her eyes focused and adjusted, she could make out rock walls, a looming, floating relic just beyond... and someone leaning over her. 

She startled. Tensed muscles sent a shockwave of pain from her back, and she realized she was supine, on the floor. She groaned.

“You alright? Elbi?” The voice was an airy whistle. It came from the man leaning over her, with a concerned expression. “Is anything hurt?” he continued. He seemed familiar, somehow, but she could swear she'd never seen him before. Befuddlement came to her features. He knew her name?

“Who are you?” she asked. She pushed herself up over her elbows. Her body ached, but as far as she could tell, nothing was broken. But her back, it _sure_ ached. 

The concern on the freckled face took on a hint of sadness. “Oh dear, you don't remember me, do you? I... thought that might happen.” He pursed his thin lips, then reached out a hand. 

She looked at it warily, then waved it away as she rolled on her left forearm. Slowly, she sat up on the floor. Scanning the room, she found the walls covered with relief tablets, a pad of grass that she was currently sitting in, some Atanis fireflies illuminating the area with their soft glow, and a cubic artifact slowly spinning on its own gyroscopic axis. Its translucent walls contained a deep, black, light-swallowing core. It pulsated energy, giving her a migrane. She moaned, long and low. 

The man withdrew his hand, then drew both up in the universal surrender sign. As she winced from the cube, the man with thin features and a strange uniform began speaking. “Ah yes, the artifact. It gave you quite the shock!” His voice whistled higher to emphasis the size of the blast that had knocked Elbi flat on her back. “A rather mysterious thing, this one. It seems to attract all sorts of horrid creatures, and strange, powerful people. They just flock here, like moths, _right_ to the flame. Oh!” he exclaimed, before rambling on. “It's quite the scene to behold. _Quite_ the scene.” His voice fluted the sheer excitement he had about the relic. 

“Your _name,_ ” she growled. 

He turned his face from the artifact he was staring at. “Oh, yes sir! I'm terribly sorry. I do get carried away.” He whirled around to face her, a closed fist thumping his chest in a variety of salute. “Commander Pernic, of the Imperial Reclamation Service, not that the titles mean anything here.” His high voice had a distinct, thick, crisp accent, but none she recognized from her long travels. The Rs in particular were muted, a contrast to the clarity of each other consonant he spoke. But the name... that name, Pernic... why was it so familiar? After a curt nod, he dropped his fist, resuming a casual stance. “Are you... sure you're alright, sir?” 

“Why do you call me sir?” she asked, part confused and part annoyed. She wasn't even a lady, or a madame, much less a sir. It added to the headache she already had.

His eyes gleamed in the soft yellow glow. “Ah, because, as always, I am in your service, my Lord.” He smiled, a devilish upquirk of both corners of his mouth. “As I shall _ever_ be,” he continued, zeal highlighting his words.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. She was no Lord, either, but that mystery could sort itself out when the ache in her brain subsided. She began pushing herself up, when the eager man jumped to her side, aiding her up. His hands felt strange: cold, solid, yet at the same time, airy, as if she could fall through at any moment. She shrugged off his hands, throwing him dagger glares. 

He backed up, palms forward. “Oh yes, apologies, you don't trust me yet, of course,” Pernic rattled. “Hopefully that will return, with your memories.” He offered a wistful smile. 

As she looked at him, she noticed the same ethereal quality in all his features. Both light and shadows kissed his shape, and ignored it altogether as it passed through his semi-opaque body. For all the firefly's light reflected his surfaces and shaded his form, it still landed, full intensity, on the floor and walls beneath and behind him. There was something wrong about him. Allowing her half-elven senses to scan him, she detected nothing unusual, no spirits, nothing. He was just, there. Finally, her eyes finished looking at and through him, she brought them into his eyes. “What are you?” she breathed. 

“Now that, my Lord, is an excellent question,” he answered with a chuckle. He looked down at himself, setting his hands on his hips over what seemed like a utility belt with a variety of strange devices hooked into it. “I've yet to figure that out myself. Some sort of ghost, perhaps?” he conjectured. 

“You're no ghost,” she stated. Elbi had seen ghosts, rare as they are, and he was not like any ghost she'd ever seen. Nor spirit, nor black spirit, nor sprite, nor any variety of undead she had ever encountered. No, he was something entirely _different_. The ache in her head still drummed, and she brought her left hand to her head with a groan. 

The worry returned to his face as she held her head. “Oh dear. Perhaps let's get you out into the light, and the fresh air?” He offered an arm, and nodded encouragement to take it. 

She looked down at it, and up into his eyes. They seemed gentle, genuine, and warm. It stirred warm feelings inside her, feelings that seemed so incredibly intimate. Her paranoia gave way, and with an “Oh, alright, fine,” she took his arm, leaning into it. Surprisingly, it held her weight. He draped his other arm around her, filling her with chill that was strangely very pleasant. 

“Right!” he chirped. “Come along then, this way. Do watch your step,” he cautioned, leading her over and around a clump of loose rocks in their path. They continued, through the corridors of the ancient stone chamber, until reaching the surface.

.....

It was a crisp, spring day in southern Balenos. The trees leaves overhead rustled as a warm, salty wind rushed in from the sea beyond. It was just the right mix of sea and forest, so Elbi breathed in the scenery, long and deep. It felt soothing. Dazedly, she held onto her new friend's arm, looking for a place to sit. Finding a large rock, she steered towards it and eased herself onto it. 

The strange man released her, letting her sit. “There you are!” He threw his gaze around, grinning. “Such a lovely day, isn't it?” he asked, with a vivid tone. The sun brightened his features: strawberry-copper hair, a generous dusting of freckles, hazel eyes reflecting deep clarity within, and pure optimism in his smile. Still, below him, not one shadow was cast. Looking down upon her for a response, his face creased with worry. “Feeling any better, sir?”

Despite the comfort of nature, her head continued to throb, and she realized, that _deep place_ inside was also throbbing. Something inside her wasn't well, and the fresh air was doing little to help it. If anything, it seemed to be worsening. She shook her head at Pernic, then groaned. 

He kneeled down, squinted eyes focused on studying her thoroughly. He brought up his right index, and instructed, “Follow my finger, with your eyes, not your head, if you'd please.” His face was set with seriousness as he examined her. Her eyes followed, left, right, and crossing as he brought the finger close to the bridge of her nose. “Move your head, both sides,” he asked, mimicking the action. 

She knew what he was doing: checking her brain and its nerves. “I'm not concussed,” she stated. “Something else is wrong.” She brought up her left palm to her chest, as a wave of deep pain flowed through her being. 

Pernic watched her, puzzled. Quite suddenly, the light of recognition glowed in his widening eyes, before settling into deeply knit brows. “Ohhh,” he moaned lowly. “That's not good. Not good at all.”

“What?” she asked, fear searching his eyes.

“I've seen this before,” he said in an ominous tone, pursing his lips. The fear flashing brighter in her eyes implored him to share his thoughts. “I think the shock knocked your soul-binds loose.” The fear became a question. His bright eyes dropped to the ground, a deep frown on his features. “Stars.”

“Soul-binds? What?” she asked, alarm sharpening her questions. 

“You _really_ don't remember, do you?” he said, more statement than question. He sighed, and began explaining. “You have souls... ghosts, really, melded into your being. They loan you some power, incredible power,” he emphasized, with a wry half-smile. “But sometimes their binds come loose. Or so you've told me. I frankly haven't the slightest idea how any of this works, really.”

Elbi blinked, blankly. 

“And clearly you don't remember.” Pernic screwed his lips to one side, before continuing. “I've observed your rituals to bind them, gruesome things, those. I could theoretically guide you through some of it. Though honestly, there's quite a lot of it that only you knew about.” 

Elbi's face dropped in defeat. She had done rituals before, yes, but she was quite clear she had her memories intact, and had neither encountered this problem, nor had the slightest clue which ritual would fix it. The deep pain gnawed, as if feeding on her confusion. None of it made any sense. Since when did she have ghosts? Fae spirits, sure, those danced in her heart all day long. But ghosts?

Her instinct was to question the sanity of this... Pernic person, thing, entity. And, truthfully, her own. But something about his nature, and his words, rang true. This all felt like she knew it, had heard it before, from somewhere else. “Damn,” was all she could say in response to her muddled sense reality.

Pernic's empathetic hand lifted to rest over her shoulder. “I'm sure adjusting to this must be difficult.” She allowed his touch, a cool feeling, like peppermint tea. “I'm sure this is a whole lot of information for you, and there's much more. But plenty of time to catch up,” he reassured her, squeezing his hand lightly. “You'll be right as rain, I know it,” he smiled confidently.

Elbi nodded, and breathed out some anxiety. Something inside her told her to trust him to guide her. “Alright, what do we do?” 

“Well,” he began, his face cringing slightly. “It involves blood, quite a bit of blood, and fresh. You always insisted on fresh.” The cringe only deepened as he described it. “And uh, reagents. We should start there. Oh! And dim starlight, something about 'appealing to the void', as you called it.” He flourished the keywords with a waving gesture of his free hand.

Elbi did not like the idea of fighting in her condition. “What sort of blood?” she asked. There was great power in blood, she knew that intently. Choosing the right essence was important. 

Pernic's lips curled to one side. “It's my understanding, the more sentient, the better.”

Elbi wore her distaste. “So I have to murder people.” 

“Not necessarily. There are some beasts around here, brutish creatures, with little tusks,” he pulled up his hands to his face, mimicking curved horns with his fingers. “They're quite intelligent, from my observations.”

Elbi processed with a blink. “You mean, boars?” she asked, an incredulous eyebrow arching. 

“Oh, yes! That is what the locals call them, yes.” 

Elbi's mouth hung half open. Who was this man, and which rock had he been living under?

Catching her expression, he sheepishly cleared his throat. “I... am not from this planet, sir. Interesting set of fauna, here.” The eager smile decorated his freckles once more.

“Yeah,” she nodded dazedly. But, as he had mentioned, catching up would have to wait. “Alright, let's get to it then. Help me up.” 

“Yes sir!” He bounced to her aid, offering a hand.

She took it and lifted herself. A wave of dizziness came over her, but quickly subsided. “Quit calling me that,” she demanded when her vision cleared.

“Oh. I apologize. I shall try, but it is an old habit.” His sunny optimism clouded with melancholy. The cloud passed quickly, as she steadied herself using his shoulder.

“Ok, I'm good. Now,” she declared, “we cut some pigs.” She stalked off into the boar-infested forest.

“Right!” Elbi's new companion trotted along beside her. 


End file.
